[LINUX] Anyone tried XBMC for Linux on the new Mac Mini with NVIDIA 9400 graphics?

[phrehdd]

While the new Mac Mini appears to boast more RAM, a fair upgrade in video and other items, the processor remains less than one would hope for.

Given this outcome of a "new" Mac Mini, it seems almost a good idea that Linux might be a better option for an OS on the Mac Mini to run XBMC and exploit GPU.

Has anyone tried Linux/XMBC on the new Mac Mini 2.0 or 2.26?

Please post your findings and any improvements on playback of 1080p (dropped frames etc.)

Candidly, I admit to holding back on the long awaited Mac Mini and still concerned about playback of m2ts high bitrate files.

Thanks in advance to those braver than some of us ...

cheers

- Phrehdd

[jayhawk785]

I like linux... but I like osx better, it would pain me to put linux on my new mac, but i could do it with parallels/bootcamp when it arrives tomorrow to test.

While the new Mac Mini appears to boast more RAM, a fair upgrade in video and other items, the processor remains less than one would hope for.

Given this outcome of a "new" Mac Mini, it seems almost a good idea that Linux might be a better option for an OS on the Mac Mini to run XBMC and exploit GPU.

Has anyone tried Linux/XBMC on the new Mac Mini 2.0 or 2.26?

Please post your findings and any improvements on playback of 1080p (dropped frames etc.)

Candidly, I admit to holding back on the long awaited Mac Mini and still concerned about playback of m2ts high bitrate files.

Thanks in advance to those braver than some of us ...

cheers

- Phrehdd

[phrehdd]

I like linux... but I like osx better, it would pain me to put linux on my new mac, but i could do it with parallels/bootcamp when it arrives tomorrow to test.

I have tried XMBC in a virtual with Parallels. It is doggedly slow and not due to XMBC. This might save you the effort.

Because the Linux version may have a strong foothold in exploiting the GPU, it might be a better fit. Ubuntu is a neat distro and for fans of OSX (I am) it is not hard to navigate. Parallels uses its own vid handlers and that would most likely negate any opportunity for Linux/XMBC to do its potential 'magic' with video.

- Phrehdd

[davilla]

Nether parallels nor vmware will be good solutions for users seeking performance running XBMC. The hardware virtualization of parallels/vmware does work well (I use vmware all the time) but heavy GPU usage is a killer. The GPU does not really fall into the hardware virtualization very well and there's much software virtualization going on regarding the GPU.

In other works, Boot Linux native if you want total access to the hardware.

[envoy510]

Has anyone tried Linux/XBMC on the new Mac Mini 2.0 or 2.26?

Please post your findings and any improvements on playback of 1080p (dropped frames etc.)
- Phrehdd

I have the 2.0GHz version. I have no problem with 1080p playback. I think the reason the processor speed doesn't go above 2.26 is the issue of heat. I love the fact that the mini is completely silent.

See this post (http://xbmc.org/forum/showpost.php?p=299319&postcount=2).

[phrehdd]

It seems so far, no one really has been able to post info on the new Mac Mini with measurements of playback. I guess this will remain either "it works for me" or "it doesn't handle high bitrate media."

With all the fine work that goes into XMBC software, it would be nice to see some measure of validation of hardware. - Even just the test of the "killa bird file" would have been a good start and info on the dropped frames along with CPU utilization. An HTPC in the footprint of the Mac Mini seemed ideal. - Oh well.

- Phrehdd

[feikenberg]

It seems so far, no one really has been able to post info on the new Mac Mini with measurements of playback. I guess this will remain either "it works for me" or "it doesn't handle high bitrate media."

With all the fine work that goes into XBMC software, it would be nice to see some measure of validation of hardware. - Even just the test of the "killa bird file" would have been a good start and info on the dropped frames along with CPU utilization. An HTPC in the footprint of the Mac Mini seemed ideal. - Oh well.

- Phrehdd

There is an extensive and interesting thread about all your questions in the PLEX Forum ;)

[phrehdd]

There is an extensive and interesting thread about all your questions in the PLEX Forum ;)

I have been regularly going to the Plex forums and the real key here is basing results on XBMC whether it is the OSX release or Linux release.

Most of the folks who have been generous in providing their experience are to be appreciated however, these really aren't even close enough to some generic measure.

Something akin to naming one's hardware specs used, the file sample like "killa" and the play back information would be a benefit. Even better is a comparison of different hardare combos.

Example abbreviated here -

Measures:
File : example "killa"
playback: 60 seconds
max bitrate:
cpu usage highest point:
dropped frames:
etc.

Mac Mini 1.83, 2 gigs RAM etc
Mac Mini 2009 2.0, 4 gigs RAM etc
Mac Mini 2009 2.0, 2 gigs RAM etc
Mac Mini 2009 2.26, 4 gigs RAM etc

You get the idea. This is more of benefit. Naturally would love to see both XBMC for OSX and Linux results compared as well. Most likely, would require a few people to provide their results. I think the end results should be put in a sticky so it saves time for most to read and make decisions on the potential of a few hundred dollars spent and not being disappointed.

As the Mac Mini is a hot topic for Mac folks and some people looking for a small footprint HTPC, it might be worthy of the XMBC folks to make this request for results and decide which info/results are worth noting.

Cheers

- Phrehdd

ps - For me alone, I am particularly interested in Linux version on the Mac Mini and the true results of exploiting the GPU and the info obtained on playback. It is a question whether the 256 limit on 9400m is a true limit or as "reported" 512 is exploited and does it work well for m2ts files such as killa.

[envoy510]

It seems so far, no one really has been able to post info on the new Mac Mini with measurements of playback. I guess this will remain either "it works for me" or "it doesn't handle high bitrate media."

With all the fine work that goes into XBMC software, it would be nice to see some measure of validation of hardware. - Even just the test of the "killa bird file" would have been a good start and info on the dropped frames along with CPU utilization. An HTPC in the footprint of the Mac Mini seemed ideal. - Oh well.

- Phrehdd

Be happy to run a test if someone can point me to it. Also, to collect the info you suggest, I'll need a little direction. What tool would provide those stats?

[envoy510]

I found this:

http://tracker.hatters.org.uk/torrents/killa.sampla.x264.mkv.torrent

is this the killa that you refer to?

EDIT: my Windows box with an nVidia 8500 GT can barely play it. Wow. Will try it later on the mini...

EDIT2: pretty smooth on the mini. It's not jerky or anything, but the playback isn't linear. There's occasional slowdowns. I'd be happy to collect some actual stats if you tell me what program I should use (or how to find the info from xbmc).

[jmarshall]

Press O while playing (or is it I or T - I can never remember) - the one that shows you the playback stats at the top (number of dropped frames, and fps).

[PiNCH]

I'm thinking of just biting the bullet and buying an HTPC already assembled - the new Mac Mini.

So, what's the general consensus around this thing? As far as specs goes, I'd guess it'd just barely run 1080p... but it will!

Being almost noiseless, small and not ugly, I'd think this has the potential to be the perfect media centre!

Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo processor (2,0 GHz)
120 GB SATA harddisk (will probably be replaced by a 32GB SSD)
1 GB DDR3 RAM (4 gigs will be added)
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 128MB shared
TOSLINK + DVI

Fire this up with Ubuntu and we're good to go! ... or? :)

EDIT: Yeah, I did a search, but this thread (apparently) didn't come up, so this post was originally a thread in itself, sorry. But maybe this'll bring some life back to this thread ;)

[Thomss]

I'm going to buy the 2.0 this week and will be putting 2GB of ram in it, I have a few 1TB drives in Icy boxes to sit beside it which will connect via USB.

I've been looking at a all kinds of HTPC's but they all seem to lack something.

I'll post some info once it arrives.


;)

[redtapemedia]

Anyone tried installing linux on a new mini yet? I've heard there's issues doing a restart and you have to shutdown and do a cold boot. Can anyone confirm?

[Gamester17]

Someone successfully booted XBMC Live on the new Mac Mini, see http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50257

...but XBMC Live has a few issues on it out of the box:Although it booted, here is what didn`t work (and I'll try to figure out each one):

* No WiFi connection (I assume this is ok, Ubuntu guys should have proper instructions to get WiFi card working);
* No remote control support;
* Resolution is limited up to 720p.
* No sound (I`ll try alsa)

[jbennett]

I've been running XBMC with VDPAU on a 2009 mac mini (using gentoo) for about a week. Had to do a workaround for the audio by adding the snd-hda-intel option model=imac24.

Rebooting still does not work as of kernel 2.6.29-r2. Not sure what the problem is at the moment. I've heard some people had success with adding reboot=acpi to the command line, but I haven't tried it.

Outside of that everything works.

[Smart79]

I have finally received my MacMini 3.1 (2 Ghz) last week and Ubuntu 9.04 64 bit is running smoothly.
-Reboot does not work at the moment. But I am sure this can be done.
-Audio worked out off the box for me.
-Installed "lirc" and the Apple remote worked! --> adjustments to Lircmap.xml --> not satisfied yet but it works.

Now I just learned that I should have used the 32 bit version of Ubuntu as XBMC would be far more "stable" there. I will upgrade (or downgrade) in a couple of day.

720p content seems to play fine bot only with the latest beta Nvidia drivers. I have 1 Gig of RAM (shared graphic memory: only about 170 MB) which is NOT enough for smooth viewing of all HD content. Definitely NOT for 1080i content (I tried Killersample and Artbeats --> do NOT work). I will put in 4 GB of RAM next week and will then report back. Then I will tell you more on dropped frames etc. as of now with 64 bit Ubbuntu the "o" button crashes XBMC :-(

It's great to hear that there are more MACMinis with Ubuntu and XBMC out there. I would appreciate the INFO exchange!

My specs:
- XBMC 9.04 r19954 installed via PPA "http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-svn/ppa/ubuntu"
- Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty 64 bit
- Mac Mini 3.1 (2009 Model)
- 1 GB RAM (will upgrade to 4 GB next week), GeForce 9400 (Linux says 512 MB RAM)
- NVidia Beta 185.18.08 Driver

Martin

[rasmusth]

Smart79 : How did you install ubuntu on your new MacMini? I have the exact same model as you.

/Rasmus

[Smart79]

Smart79 : How did you install ubuntu on your new MacMini? I have the exact same model as you.

/Rasmus

:grin:
I now installed the 32 bit Version of Ubuntu 9.04 (had 64 bit but there where problenms with XBMC). I also upgraded to 4 GB RAM as with the 1 GB the HD files did not play smoothly with VDPAU. But I think 2 GB would have been enough. Ist also important to update to the newest nvidia beta driver.

For installing Ubuntu I used this guide: http://blog.costan.us/2009/03/ubuntu-810-or-904-on-mac-mini.html

With the 64 bit Version I did not have a the sound problem. So I followed this advice: to get the sound working, add the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base --> options snd-hda-intel model=imac24

By the way: I did not use REFIT (Bootmanager) as it did not work for me. Just went for Boot Camp which is installed on MacOS. I'm still searching for a way to autoboot into ubuntu. At the moment I have to keep the "ALT-key" pressed when booting.

If you have specific questions please feel free to ask.

My new specs:
- XBMC 9.04 r19954 installed via PPA "http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-svn/ppa/ubuntu"
- Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty 32 bit
- Mac Mini 3.1 (2009 Model)
- 4 GB RAM
- GeForce 9400 (Linux says 512 MB RAM)
- NVidia Beta 185.18.08 Driver

[cusquinho]

:grin:
I now installed the 32 bit Version of Ubuntu 9.04 (had 64 bit but there where problenms with XBMC). I also upgraded to 4 GB RAM as with the 1 GB the HD files did not play smoothly with VDPAU. But I think 2 GB would have been enough. Ist also important to update to the newest nvidia beta driver.

For installing Ubuntu I used this guide: http://blog.costan.us/2009/03/ubuntu-810-or-904-on-mac-mini.html

With the 64 bit Version I did not have a the sound problem. So I followed this advice: to get the sound working, add the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base --> options snd-hda-intel model=imac24

By the way: I did not use REFIT (Bootmanager) as it did not work for me. Just went for Boot Camp which is installed on MacOS. I'm still searching for a way to autoboot into ubuntu. At the moment I have to keep the "ALT-key" pressed when booting.

If you have specific questions please feel free to ask.

My new specs:
- XBMC 9.04 r19954 installed via PPA "http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-svn/ppa/ubuntu"
- Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty 32 bit
- Mac Mini 3.1 (2009 Model)
- 4 GB RAM
- GeForce 9400 (Linux says 512 MB RAM)
- NVidia Beta 185.18.08 Driver

And how is the performance for 1080p content? This is the big question :-) Did you try killa sample?

Thanks

[Smart79]

I tried the artbeats_m1080p20080210.mov and the killa.sampla.x264.mkv sample. Both work like a charm. so yes: 1080p content WORKS just fine!
:grin:

[cusquinho]

I tried the artbeats_m1080p20080210.mov and the killa.sampla.x264.mkv sample. Both work like a charm. so yes: 1080p content WORKS just fine!
:grin:

I'll buy an external HD for that :-) I feel so sad to remove the MacOS from my root partition.. :D

You're using 4gb right? I guess I'll have to upgrade memory as well.

Great news!

[Smart79]

You're using 4gb right? I guess I'll have to upgrade memory as well.


I'm using 4 GB RAM. Yes. I would recomend at least 2 GB. With 1 you eill hot have enough shared Video Memory for VPAUD.

And by the way: I left MacOS on the harddrive as well. I just resized the partition (boot camp) and now Ubuntu has almost all of the space ;-)

Greetings...Martin

[Jake77]

I have also quickly tested xbmc 9.04 final on a 2009 model macmini. My mini has 2gb of memory and is running the 64bit version of ubuntu 9.04. nvidia control panel in ubuntu shows that gfx card memory is 512mb, but when checking the total physical memory, it's a little above 1,7gb, which would refer that there would actually be 256mb of memory reserved to the nvidia gpu. I tried VDPAU playback with some clips. A 720p mkv file plays nicely with vpdau. I also tried a music video encoded in 1080p and it played smoothly too (around 10% total cpu load). But when I tested the killa sample, cpu load was still low, but a lot of frames were dropped. killa sample was on local disk, so usb/network could not have caused the dropped frames.

I am using the default nvidia drivers (180.44 I think) that come with the restricted drivers tool in ubuntu, ie not the latest betas.

Smart79, could you check how much memory is visible in ubuntu, are you seeing 3,5gb? If so, then I think it's quite safe to say that the nvidia gpu really gets the 512mb..

[motd2k]

It wouldn't hurt to try 185.18.08, if i remember correctly, this can steal system memory to use for VDPAU decoding when video memory isnt enough.

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=1997862

[Jake77]

Thanks for the tip motd2k :)

I decided to step away from the 64bit ubuntu for now and installed the 32bit version. After installing ubuntu, I downloaded and installed the nvidia beta driver as suggested by motd2k. Finally I installed xbmc. I tested with killa sample, and it plays smoothly now :) only during the 1st second there was around 10 frame drops, but that was probably because the clip was played from usb stick. No frame drops after that, and cpu load was very low.

Also, the o (to get codec info) button seems to be working in 32bit version. In 64bit version, if I pressed o, xbmc crashed.

So it seems that VDPAU works quite nicely for me even with 256mb of gpu memory, at least with the killa sample clip. Or maybe it is just what motd2k suggested, that the new nvidia driver can "steal" more memory for gpu if needed.

[Smart79]

@Jake77:
This is what top shows:
Mem: 2807404k total, 825180k used, 1982224k free

Looks like the 32bit verison can only take 3GB RAM. But that was what I expected. But as the 64 bit verison had so many problems with XBMC I'm glad to be have returned to the 32bit for now.
Looks like the 2 GB of RAM should be enough for you. And yes: you should use the latest BETA NVidia drivers as motd2k already posted.....

"Killa" Sample sucks by the way......

[sion28]

What about just clearing out the Macmini and installing XBMC Live? Would that work?

[Smart79]

What about just clearing out the Macmini and installing XBMC Live? Would that work?

I don't see why not. You might have to adjust some settings for the sound to work and you might have to upgrade your NVidia drivers... but otherwise..... I don't see a problem.

[Drifty]

Smart79
Can you post a step by step guide for your mac mini setup. I would like to try the VDPAU and am a little over whelmed with command line mods but can follow instructions.

[jonm42]

Smart79
Can you post a step by step guide for your mac mini setup. I would like to try the VDPAU and am a little over whelmed with command line mods but can follow instructions.

Not overwhelmed with command lines myself, but a step by step would still a great contribution. Thanks!

[Z3rO]

I'm tempted to install Ubuntu on my 09 MacMini (2ghz, 4Gig ram) and its nice to hear that vdpau works like a charm.

There are only some things that hold me off, it would be nice if someone could clear things up for me:

1. Does sleep and resume work?
2. Is WiFi working?
3. Does the optical audio output work?

It would be nice if someone running ubuntu could clear those things up.

TY

Z3rO

[Smart79]

Hi Drifty, hi jonm42 and hi Z3rO

Before you start:

1. Upgrade to at least 2 GB of RAM (I use 4 GB)

2. Do NOT use Ubuntu 9.04 64 bit. I tried this but XBMC is not ready for 64 bit yet. Use Ubuntu 9.04 32 bit instead. I used the Ubuntu 9.04 32 bit Desktop Edition as you could also e.g. surf with the Mac Mini. At the moment I use it for XBMC only and I LOVE IT!!!

Now you can begin:

1. To set up Ubuntu use this guide:
http://blog.costan.us/2009/03/ubuntu-810-or-904-on-mac-mini.html

2. More detailed stuff about the bootmanager: I left Mac OS X on the poor thing just to be able to get firmware updates
http://refit.sourceforge.net/

3. fix the Sound
To get the sound working, add the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base
options snd-hda-intel model=imac24

4. Install XBMC through the repository. I personally use the SVN Repository but for a more stable release use this link:
https://launchpad.net/~team-xbmc/+archive/jaunty-ppa
Details here: http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=33327

5. I then set up my Ubuntu to auto startup XBMC after booting which is fairly easy.
You’ll find the tool on the System \ Preferences\ Sessions menu item: Click the Add button, and type in “xbmc”. That was it.

6. If you have an IR remote control use this:
sudo apt-get install lirc lirc-modules-source module-assistant
sudo dpkg-reconfigure lirc-modules-source

Or use this guide: http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Ubuntu_lirc_install

I use the original Apple remote but at some point I will probably switch to a bluetooth remote with more buttons. At the moment I have to use the Apple bluetooth Keyboard for some of the XBMC functions.

7. As a skin I use MiniMeedia
http://xbmc.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=114

8. XBMC ROCKS!!!! And thanks to “motd2k” HD content plays like a charm through VPAUD.

Problems I sadly still have:
-Sound will not mute all the way in XBMC
-Reboot does NOT work (Ubuntu problem which is not fixed yet, maybe in Ubuntu 9.10)
-Apple Remote does not have enough buttons for a XBMC remote (my opinion)
-the power consumption is 10 W higher than under MacOS X which is sad.
-Wi-Fi does not work out of the box. I do not use it anyway. But i am sure you could get it to work with the right guide.

[Z3rO]

Thanks for your reply. I used the weekend to install a minimal ubuntu and fiddle around a bit with it.
I got pretty much everything working except the reboot. But as you said thats an ubuntu issue.

Standby/Resume works fine, though not with the Apple remote.
I have to use my keyboard to wake the mini up.
Another issue is that the Apple Remote doesnt recognize the long button press, so the already limited capabilitys are now even more limited.

Wifi and optical sound work fine too. I used wicd under fluxbox to set the Wifi up. For sound I had to unmute all devices in alsamixer.

I'm pretty much happy with the result. Only a little more tweaking here and there and it will be awesome. :)

By the way. Could you post your Lircmap.xml and Keymap.xml? And what xbmc revision are you running?

[phrehdd]

I thought I would take an opportunity to just post some thoughts here after reading all the contributions to this particular thread.

It appears that the Mac Mini running OSX can handle 1080p but with some limitations. For most they may not be much but for some (like me) I want to never worry about stutter/jutter/jitter/pauses/audio issues et al. Both XBMC and Plex have come a long way and kudos to the teams involved in their efforts.

The biggest flaw with the Mac Mini is the lack of HDMI. This is less about video but more about audio. As time marches on, we'll probably see higher end audio available and the Mini wont be able to handle it (under present standards).

If* you can live with traditional audio over HDef Audio formats, then the Mac Mini with Linux version of XBMC seems to be extremely promising. In fact, since everything is somewhat "built in" to the Mini, it could be an ideal box (sans HD Audio). It would be nice if a complete package was made for the Mini that covered the remote and a few other items right from the start.

Plex has opted to include some "settings" that relate to the video to get around some of the issues with high bit rate. It is a good idea for OSX users to investigate. For me, sad to say, it is flawed. One size (setting) doesn't fit all.

Ideally, as there is a db associated with the app, another tool should be offered to analyze movie files for bit rate peaks, frequency of peaks and so forth and allow the end user to select a setting PER a movie. The db would house the value which could be associated with the file upon lookup. Things of this sort are far more important to folks like me than some bells and whistles which can be added most any time. I gather with the Linux XBMC offering that exploits the GPU there would be no need to measure bitrates for movie files but with OSX, its a damn good idea to help get the very best play one can get out of a movie before altering settings to run smooth (at a price of fidelity).

As others are discovering, Ion Boxes are popping up everywhere with some excellent results. While perhaps not as full featured as the Mini, one could make it come very close at a lower cost and just as sleek. (Items such as firewire 800 come to mind for adding hd files that are large in size etc...convenience factor as it were etc.)

The ideal for me would be
CPU/GPU plays all normal hd media files well
ability to handle hd audio formats
Friendly GUI to handle changes in XML files etc.
IO that includes USB 2 and Firewire 800/400 and if lucky eSATA.
Wireless N
HDMI out that could handle potentially HD audio formats in the future.
and
downloadable baseline templates/settings for various Univ Remotes including Apple's
Setting controls PER a movie via user setting and additional tools for colour, constrast, bitrate etc. People in turn can put their settings up in a forum thread as baselines for others. This might include settings by movies and by type of screen.

All the other items like Hulu and such are great..but I think ease of set up and ability to truly optimize a system for each users "library" is first and foremost. It is great when people say it was easy to set up and - it just work - I have no real problems.

- Phrehdd

[DonJ]

Did someone manage to get a Bluetooth working with the mac mini 3,1? It sounds like IR is the only working option for remotes.

Also see: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/bluez/+bug/344559

[jsahlen]

I'm very tempted to try this on my 09 Mac Mini. However; does anyone know if it's possible to use a Harmony remote in Linux on a Mac Mini? I have a good thing going with the Harmony 'emulation' in recent SVN builds in Mac OS X, and I'd need to have something similar on Linux.

[anothergene]

I'm very tempted to try this on my 09 Mac Mini. However; does anyone know if it's possible to use a Harmony remote in Linux on a Mac Mini? I have a good thing going with the Harmony 'emulation' in recent SVN builds in Mac OS X, and I'd need to have something similar on Linux.

I would assume it would be and I'm looking to do the exact same thing. If some one can post a procedure they went through to get it working that would be great.

[jsahlen]

I would assume it would be and I'm looking to do the exact same thing. If some one can post a procedure they went through to get it working that would be great.
I tried it during the weekend. I set everything up with LIRC, and had no problems getting irrecord to recognize all the commands from my Harmony (using the "macmini" driver, and the "Plex" device from the Harmony database). However, when the remote is used in XBMC, the button presses are recognized waaay too frequently (each press is registered as 2 or more, regardless of how short it is). This has been discussed in the forums before (http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26097&page=35), and as far as I've been able to gather, there's currently no solution for it… For me, this is unfortunately a dealbreaker (the over-zealous repeat rate makes the GUI pretty much unusable), so I'll have to go back to OS X for now.
Does anyone know of a solution for this? I'm not averse to changing the source code if that's what needs to be done, but I don't have the know-how to find exactly what to change by myself :)

[fredaroony]

I tried it during the weekend. I set everything up with LIRC, and had no problems getting irrecord to recognize all the commands from my Harmony (using the "macmini" driver, and the "Plex" device from the Harmony database). However, when the remote is used in XBMC, the button presses are recognized waaay too frequently (each press is registered as 2 or more, regardless of how short it is). This has been discussed in the forums before (http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26097&page=35), and as far as I've been able to gather, there's currently no solution for it… For me, this is unfortunately a dealbreaker (the over-zealous repeat rate makes the GUI pretty much unusable), so I'll have to go back to OS X for now.
Does anyone know of a solution for this? I'm not averse to changing the source code if that's what needs to be done, but I don't have the know-how to find exactly what to change by myself :)


Try the follow. It worked for me on a similar issue with a different device.

1. Click on the Devices tab
2. Click "Settings" for the Plex
3. Select "Troubleshoot"
4. Select "Show me more problems"
5. Then choose "My Device doesn't appear to receive every command correctly"
6. Choose " My Device responds too much to some commands"
7. Modify the number of repeats. The default is 3. Lower the number to 2, and if that doesn't work try 1.

[jsahlen]

Try the follow. It worked for me on a similar issue with a different device.

1. Click on the Devices tab
2. Click "Settings" for the Plex
3. Select "Troubleshoot"
4. Select "Show me more problems"
5. Then choose "My Device doesn't appear to receive every command correctly"
6. Choose " My Device responds too much to some commands"
7. Modify the number of repeats. The default is 3. Lower the number to 2, and if that doesn't work try 1.
Thanks, but I actually already had mine set at 0 from my OS X XBMC setup. LIRC seems to be really sensitive. :)

[BDPNA]

Can Linux running XBMC on the Mac Mini still output audio from MKV streams in true DTS or DD5.1 formats? That's my biggest concern. I thought I remembered reading somewhere it had to downmix due to driver limitations...is that true?

[stonebat]

did anyone figure out how to boot up xbmc-live from the usb flash drive? my macbook wont boot from the usb at all...

the macbook has linux partition and xbmc/vdpau is working good. but i wanna clean out the partition and use the usb stick instead.

[BDPNA]

Thanks for the great step by step on getting Ubuntu to work on the mini.

Alas, while I got everything working, I have no sound, despite doing the fix.

With the sound fix you did, what do you have your Mini hooked up to as far as testing? I have mine running to my stereo receiver via toslink to mac mini.

Anyone else actually have this working?

For the life of me no matter what I do, I can't get sound to come out of this thing despite doing the fix listed here and a TON of other searching on the web for other fixes.

Frustrating. Just one step away from having this working too.

[cydine]

Have you tried to see if you can get just stereo audio?

Can anyone confirm that digital audio is actually working?

[BDPNA]

Got lirc running finally but now I see that same repeat issue. Anyone ever solve this for the mini?

[phrehdd]

Got lirc running finally but now I see that same repeat issue. Anyone ever solve this for the mini?

I dont have this challenge (yet)..but I will so here goes and I am shooting in the dark.

Is it possible when you press a button to do a command to join it with a time delay? I know that on some remotes you can put a time delay when multiple pieces of equipment are being engaged (giving an order to the machines and time to do their thing before the next machine is engaged). I ask this because if there is a repeat issue, perhaps a delay added to the command would help.

I am aware it may simply delay the repeat but then again it may be a dirty fix for the problem

Button = command + X seconds delay or let command + delay = command (substitution). I gather there is no Null/end of sorts that kills repeats.

- Phrehdd

[phrehdd]

I was kind of hoping by now there would be a sticky of sorts for installing Linux on a Mac Mini; complete with instructions for ir, bluetooth, sleep, setting up both Apple and Logitech remotes etc. Also something with respect of ease of only Linux on Mini vs dual booting.

Another area sub topic would include handling 24p, options on connections (dvi to HDMI, optical out and hybrid via 3rd party adaptor that merges both into an HDMI cable to receiver or TV.

Admittedly, I am trying to collect from all over the place the bits and pieces to install (dual boot) Linux on my 2.53 Mini and get everything to work properly. The info in the forums is great but its a little bit frustrating to run around.

Of course, there is a nice script for Asrock Ion Install. I think the Mini is worthy of similar consideration. Remember, several "Mac" folks are here and looking at XBMC on Linux as a best solution as opposed to XBMC and the variant on OSX.

- Phrehdd